Tape holder



y 26, 1964 E. E. SCHLEICHER 3,134,526

TAPE HOLDER Filed April 8, 1963 INVENTOR [Rf/57' JCWLEICHER AT TO/PNEVS United States Patent 3,134,526 TAPE HOLDER Ernst E. Schleicher, 2929 82nd Ave, Oakland 5, Calif. Filed Apr. 8, 1963, Ser. No. 271,270 6 Claims. (Cl. 22556) This invention relates to tape holders and dispensers particularly of the kind which may be manually held for stripping a length of tape from a tape roll.

In brief, the invention involves a novel tape holder and dispenser comprising a palm engageable holder piece, a complementary finger grip holder piece and including means for adjustably connecting one to the other along a line extending substantially normal to the inner and outer surfaces of a tape roll. The adjustable connecting means permits positive gripping of a tape roll both at a time when a new roll has been fitted to the holder and at times where the tape roll has been fully dispensed. The novel holder and dispenser is uniquely formed so that it may be manufactured at a minimum cost. In addition, the symmetrical shape of the tape holder and the manner of its assembly with a tape roll permits the alternative use of either one of two cutting means.

A primary object of this invention is to provide a tape holder and dispenser which may be inexpensively manufactured.

Another object of the invention is to provide a tape holder of convenient size and shape suitable for manual operation over a long period of use.

Another object is to provide a tape holder having a symmetrical shape and formed with a pair of cutting means, allowing the tape holder to be used with various kinds of tape.

A more particular object of the invention is to provide a holder and dispenser for a roll tape comprising a palm engageable holder piece having an arcuate surface for engaging the outer surface of a tape roll; a finger grip member adapted to be placed within the center opening of a tape roll and having an arcuate surface for supporting the inner surface of the tape roll; and means for adjustably connecting said finger grip member to the holder piece along a line extending substantially normal to both inner and outer surfaces of the tape roll.

A still further object of the invention is to provide a holder and dispenser of the kind described wherein the means for adjustably connecting a finger grip member to a holder piece comprises a pair of opposed parallel surfaces having a series of catch recesses formed therein and complementary detents engageable with respective surfaces.

And yet another object of the invention is to provide a tape holder of the kind described having a finger grip member formed with a pair of arcuate finger contact recesses.

Other objects of this invention will become apparent in view of the following detailed description.

In the drawings forming a part of this application and in which like parts are identified by like reference numerals throughout the same,

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a tape holder and dispenser assembled to a tape roll in a manner contemplated by this invention;

FIG. 2 is a side elevation of the holder and tape roll shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a section taken substantially on line 3-3 of FIG. 2; and

FIG. 4 is a section taken on line 44 of FIG. 3.

Referring to FIG. 1, there is illustrated a preferred embodiment of a tape holder and dispenser comprising a two part assembly of a palm engageable holder piece 11 and a finger grip holder piece 12. The entire assembly may be made of plastic or other light Weight materials, and the structural features of the holder permits it to be made at very little cost.

The palm engageable holder piece 11 may be molded from a single piece of plastic having a recess for receiving and housing one side of a standard size tape roll T. The recess is defined by an arcuate or cylindrical surface 13 and parallel side surfaces 14 and 15, which extend in planes substantially normal to surface 13. Surfaces 14 and 15 are spaced apart a distance slightly greater than the width of tape on roll T, and each surface is formed with a series of catch recesses 16, best shown in FIGS. 3 and 4.

Finger grip holder piece 12 is adapted to be received within the center opening 17 of the standard tape roll T. The outer periphery of piece 12 has an arcuate or cylindrical surface 18 which supports tape roll T as the tape thereon is stripped from the roll. Although surface 18 is formed approximately the same width as the tape, a pair of detent members 19 and 20 project laterally beyond so as to be engageable with the recesses 16 formed in surfaces 14 and 15. A pair of arcuate finger grip recesses is preferably provided in the bottom surface of piece 12 to aid in manual control. These finger recesses also make operation of the holder much easier.

A pair of cutter means 21 and 22 are provided at opposite ends of holder piece 11, each cutter means being supported in juxtaposed relation to the outer surface of tape roll T. Cutter means 21 comprises a serrated or toothed edge, which may be formed integrally with holder piece 11. Such an edge may be used to sever many types of tape, including varieties of cellophane tape. On the other hand, a serrated edge is generally unsuited to the cutting of certain plastic tapes which tend to stretch. For this reason, the second cutter means 22 is provided at the opposite end, and comprising an inserted blade having convergent side edges meeting at a central piercing point. A cutting means of this kind is far more effective in severing elastic or pliable tapes than the serrated cutting means 22. Since holder piece 11 is symmetrically shaped, tape roll T may be alternatively inserted into the recess defined by surfaces 13, 14 and 15 so that either cutting means 21 or 22 is utilized.

In operation, finger grip holder 12 is initially positioned Within the opening 17 of tape roll T, and then the roll is moved into the recess of palm engageable holder piece 11. Detent members 19 and 20 are urged upwardly within parallel surfaces 14 and 15 of palm engageable piece 11 until said detents engage recesses 16. Detents 19 and 20, it will be noted, cause a wedging action upon the surfaces 14 and 15, tending to spread them apart as the detents pass from one recess to another. Since recesses 16 need not be deep, there may be only slight or imperceptible flexing of the holder piece 11, and for this reason the holder piece 11 may be formed of almost any plastic or metallic material.

During its use, holder 10 may be incrementally adusted to the depth of tape remaining on roll T by merely squeezing finger grip holder 12 toward the palm engageable piece 11. Moreover, the dispensing action of the holder permits positive clamping of the tape roll whenever a strip of tape is to be severed from the roll.

It is to be understood that although a preferred embodiment of the invention is shown and described, various changes may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention or the scope of the attached claims, and each of such changes is contemplated.

What I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

l. A holder and dispenser for a roll of tape comprising: a palm engageable holder piece having a cavity for receiving a tape roll and an arcuate concave surface within said Patented May 26, 1964 e cavityfor contacting the outer surfaces of the tape roll, the exterior surface. of said holder .piece. extending circumferentially around said cavity at least a distance equal to the width of the palm of an average hand; cutter means mounted at oneend of said holder' piece in juxtaposed relation'tothe outer surfacevof the tape roll; a finger grip member adapted to be placed within the center openingof a tape roll and having an arcuate convex surface for contacting the inner-surface of the tape roll and a finger contact surface extendingbetween ends of said convex surface; and rneansv for adjustably connecting-said finger grip memberto'the holder piece along a line extending substantially normal to both concave andconvex surfaces. 2. The tape holder and dispenserof claim 1 wherein saidmeans .for adjustably connecting said finger grip member .to the holder piece comprises a pair of opposed parallel surfaces having a series of catch recesses formed therein andcomplementary detents engageable with respective surface recesses.

:3.-The..tape holder and dispenser of claim 1 wherein said finger .contact surfaceis defined by a pair of concave finger contacts located near the ends of said 'arcuate convex surface.

4. .The tape holderand dispenser. of claim 1 and further including a second cutter means mounted ,at the opposite end. of said holder piece :to said'one end, one of said cutter means comprising. a blade having a serrated 1 cutting edge .and the othercutter means comprising a blade having convergent side edges meeting at a central piercing point.

5. A holder and dispenser'for a roll of tape comprising: a palm engageable holder piece having a cylindrical sur- '6. face engageable with the outer surface of a tape roll and parallel side surfaces extending in planes substantially cutter. means mounted. at oneend of said palrn engage-- able holder piece injuxtaposed relation to the outer:sur-.. face of the tape roll;'and a finger grip holder piece adapted to be placed within'the center openingflof a tape roll and having a cylindrical convex surface engageable with the inner surface of the tape rolland a finger contact surface extendingbetween ends'of said convex surface, said finger grip piece also having detent vprojections Whichmay a be selectively-placed into contact with the catch recesses of-respectiveparallelsurfaces.

6. The tape holder and dispenser of claim 5 whereinu' said fingercontact surface is definedby a pair of concave finger contacts located near the ends of saidcylindrical convex surface.

References Cited in the file ofthis'patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,842,288 Reitmann Ian. '19, 1932 2,401,286 Wright May 28, 1946 Burns Jan. 17, 1956 

1. A HOLDER AND DISPENSER FOR A ROLL OF TAPE COMPRISING: A PALM ENGAGEABLE HOLDER PIECE HAVING A CAVITY FOR RECEIVING A TAPE ROLL AND AN ARCUATE CONCAVE SURFACE WITHIN SAID CAVITY FOR CONTACTING THE OUTER SURFACES OF THE TAPE ROLL, THE EXTERIOR SURFACE OF SAID HOLDER PIECE EXTENDING CIRCUMFERENTIALLY AROUND SAID CAVITY AT LEAST A DISTANCE EQUAL TO THE WIDTH OF THE PALM OF AN AVERAGE HAND; CUTTER MEANS MOUNTED AT ONE END OF SAID HOLDER PIECE IN JUXTAPOSED RELATION TO THE OUTER SURFACE OF THE TAPE ROLL; A FINGER GRIP MEMBER ADAPTED TO BE PLACED WITHIN THE CENTER OPENING OF A TAPE ROLL AND HAVING AN ARCUATE CONVEX SURFACE FOR CONTACTING THE INNER SURFACE OF THE TAPE ROLL AND A FINGER CONTACT SURFACE EXTENDING BETWEEN ENDS OF SAID CONVEX SURFACE; AND MEANS FOR ADJUSTABLY CONNECTING SAID FINGER GRIP MEMBER TO THE HOLDER PIECE ALONG A LINE EXTENDING SUBSTANTIALLY NORMAL TO BOTH CONCAVE AND CONVEX SURFACES. 